"Once I got out of college I realized that while I don't have that natural runners talent, I've always relied on my two strengths - recovering quickly after workouts and races and being able to do long distances," Miller said. "When you put those two things together, that's the next best thing."

In his first competition ever in Idaho, Miller felt worried about the area's unusually warm weather and a stiff headwind on the course.

To combat those elements, Miller blazed through the first half of the race and hoped to hold on for the win.

"I realized right away that the weather and the course was going to make it a slow race," Miller said. "I knew right away I was going to get dehydrated and slow down regardless of how much food I took in. My strategy was to go out harder than I normally would, like a half-marathon pace, and hold that as long as possible."

Miller knew he was going to fall apart physically in the race's final stages, but felt he had a good chance of winning if he crossed the tape at 2 hours and 40 minutes.

His strategy worked perfectly.

"I've never had a problem with long runs, more than two hours, even on a nasty day," Miller said. "I have that mental toughness to do that now. It doesn't seem to affect me."